FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[Tony116]

I remember even during the Qatar World Cup when Argentine won the title and Messi was performing well for his team, Lionel Sebastián Scaloni said he wants to use Messi for the next world cup in 2026, which is a good reason to say there's a high chance for Messi to play in 2026 world cup while this is wrong because like this many younger players will lose a chance to have good performance for their national team.

Next world cup is three years away and Lionel Scaloni can't give assurances such as this one. How can he be sure that he will remain as the coach till 2026? And getting included in the squad is one thing, and finding a place in the playing XI is another. This is what happened with Cristiano Ronaldo. He was included in the squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. But then the coach (Fernando Santos) refused to include him in the starting XI for a few matches in the knockout phase and instead opted for some of the younger players.

Three years is a lot and there are many possibilities during this time. I think there is a chance for Messi to even get retired before the start of the 2025 World Cup and even if this player is a legend, still he can't have a good performance in this tournament. The best thing he can do is to get retire during the time when he's in the good form and achieved the titles he wanted to achieve. Otherwise, there is the chance for this player to have a weak performance.

I actually do not think that Messi is going to retire before the next World Cup. Because right now he is very interested in performing for his national team instead of his club. So I think he still wants to have some achievement with his national team. But at the same time probably that doesn’t mean he wants to win another World Cup. He is going for some other trophies. It is true that the World Cup is a long way away and he might not be in the best physical shape going into the next World Cup. His performance might also drop. But I have a feeling that he is going to play in the next World Cup.

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[Hirose UK]

I remember even during the Qatar World Cup when Argentine won the title and Messi was performing well for his team, Lionel Sebastián Scaloni said he wants to use Messi for the next world cup in 2026, which is a good reason to say there's a high chance for Messi to play in 2026 world cup while this is wrong because like this many younger players will lose a chance to have good performance for their national team.

Next world cup is three years away and Lionel Scaloni can't give assurances such as this one. How can he be sure that he will remain as the coach till 2026? And getting included in the squad is one thing, and finding a place in the playing XI is another. This is what happened with Cristiano Ronaldo. He was included in the squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. But then the coach (Fernando Santos) refused to include him in the starting XI for a few matches in the knockout phase and instead opted for some of the younger players.

Lionel Scaloni has contract until 2026 so it is certain that he will be able to remain as Argentina coach until the 2026 World Cup starts.
As long as he doesn't make mistakes and can give his best for the next 3 years then he won't be fired.

Talking about Ronaldo for Portugal the coach seems to be prioritizing young players and it is unlikely that Ronaldo will be included in the Portugal national team list.
However, I sure Fernando Santos has the best strategy and way to make Portugal stronger.

[Volgastallion]

Hahahaha man, how can you put in doubt Scaloni as a manager of Argentina national team? are you crazy? he lose 1 of his alst 51 games... the people loves him, and the players loves him more than the people, i cant see any chance of him going out , only if he have a personal or familair problem, but clearly not.

[alegotardo]

Hahahaha man, how can you put in doubt Scaloni as a manager of Argentina national team? are you crazy? he lose 1 of his alst 51 games... the people loves him, and the players loves him more than the people, i cant see any chance of him going out , only if he have a personal or familair problem, but clearly not.

In addition to Scaloni being loved by his people, his contract was recently renewed (right after the World Cup) until 2026, so obviously there is no reason to say otherwise... Scaloni will lead Argentina in the next World Cup.

We even know that between the coach and "Chiqui" Tapia, president of the AFA, there is great mutual gratitude.
I even thought there would be some "tension" taking into account the economic differences between the two proposals (from the coach and the AFA) for renewing the contract, but the coffers were duly filled after the recent win in Qatar (US$42 million) so This impasse ended up being resolved very easily.

The only doubt we still have is about Messi, as Scaloni is guaranteed!

[LUCKMCFLY]

I would say there is a possibility of Ronaldo and Messi playing in 2026 world cup more than Neymar being able to play. Two of them may or may not play based on their age, and Messi wouldn't be even that old, he would be around the same age as Ronaldo was on the last one, so it is not really that weird and could happen, and Ronaldo is inhuman and still looks like he is on top form so another 2 or so years for him to keep playing is not shocking, it may happen, not saying it will because it also depends on if the manager will pick him and if manager dislikes him personally then even if he deserves it, he may not get called up.

However, Neymar keeps getting injured all the time, sure this one will heal by then, but maybe he will get injured again?

Messi and CR7 are probably going to be retired by the time the next world cup comes.

They are now just trying to get as much money as they can before retirement. It's not like they are playing for the fun of soccer, it is just money for them.

They could also stop playing and they would be earning more in ads. Pirlo and others are making a lot of money appearing in ads in Dubai for example.

I don't have a crystal ball and can't tell whether Messi and Ronaldo will play at the World Cup 2026 or not, but if it was only about the money and nothing else for both of them, wouldn't they have retired from their national teams by now? Did you notice that both Ronaldo and Messi scored very important goals for their respective national teams in the last qualifier games? If these signs could be interpreted somehow in this moment, I think they speak rather in favor of their participation at the World Cup 2026 than against it, but this is only a snapshot. Things can change or escalate quickly when one of them stops scoring and teams, coach and the fans become more critical of them.

I am a person who has always asked this type of question , I hope that is the case, well I know that Poertugal is going to have CR7, I am sure of that, unless they change the coach and bring in someone like Ten Hag, but honestly I like person who always watches the South American qualifiers, I have realized that Argentina is a team that Depends very much on Messi, and Messi is a player who has always done very well in Argentina, in fact Argentina's classification is one of the players that In reality, he has placed First in the Standings , but if they play without Messi, it is likely that the other teams can give him more of a fight and that they can Even beat him, but Messi can score a goal in any game, out of nowhere, out of nothing. Respect he goes and a free kick and he doesn't forgive it, he scores a goal then with that, because it makes the teams become very decisive with it and their morale drops, currently I have seen that this happens to the Teams that go with him to play.

Argentina is a team that can make a difference, it is one of the teams that are showing that why they are the defending champions, they have 12 points out of 12 points, this has made them very alarmed in Brazil because they have barely finished with 7 points and They are on par with Uruguay and BVenezuela, yes with Venezuela, which has Surprised a lot , which I think is great, I hope that the level that these teams are showing continues the same because the moment they reach the World Cup they can do well. games against the big ones , like Germany, France, among other teams, for me I have hope and faith that they can go to the world cup for the first time, now I consider that if Veenzuela manages to tie Argentina it is something they have to celebrate like never before , but come on, I'm realistic, if Argentina has Messi it will be very difficult to win, very very difficult, now with everything they have shown I think they can make the difference, I would like something different to happen.

[bitgolden]

Lionel Scaloni has contract until 2026 so it is certain that he will be able to remain as Argentina coach until the 2026 World Cup starts.
As long as he doesn't make mistakes and can give his best for the next 3 years then he won't be fired.

Talking about Ronaldo for Portugal the coach seems to be prioritizing young players and it is unlikely that Ronaldo will be included in the Portugal national team list.
However, I sure Fernando Santos has the best strategy and way to make Portugal stronger.

You can focus on younger players and that's fine, nobody says he should bring in all the veterans, but if Ronaldo is still playing and he doesn't call up Ronaldo, there will be a lot of upset fans and he will be on the edge of the seat, if they do badly he will be fired mercilessly and would have hard time finding another job.

Ronaldo has a HUGE influence at Portugal, and globally too, that dude single handedly made a WHOLE LEAGUE famous, so its clear that it would be smarter to get him. It's better to fail with him, than fail without him. Messi is loved by his manager a lot, so we know that if he is playing there will not even be a single doubt that he would be getting that call up and will represent and even start games.

[Weawant]

I remember even during the Qatar World Cup when Argentine won the title and Messi was performing well for his team, Lionel Sebastián Scaloni said he wants to use Messi for the next world cup in 2026, which is a good reason to say there's a high chance for Messi to play in 2026 world cup while this is wrong because like this many younger players will lose a chance to have good performance for their national team.

Messi performed very well at the world cup because then he was still fit and strong enough to play and then he was in his thirties and still optimal with his performance but by 2026 he will be passed that age and he will not be so fit enough to perform as he did in the last world cup so we can't be judging how well he will perform at the 2026 world cup that is three years fr now with the performance he had at the world cup at Qatar.

Without any doubt it's very possible he will participate in the world cup especially if he is been called up on and he accepts the offer but we can be somehow sure he will not be optimal with his performance by then as he has been, and it's very possible he could have retired by they because he will be in his late thirties of early fourties which is not an age very favourable with football.

[Leviathan.007]

I remember even during the Qatar World Cup when Argentine won the title and Messi was performing well for his team, Lionel Sebastián Scaloni said he wants to use Messi for the next world cup in 2026, which is a good reason to say there's a high chance for Messi to play in 2026 world cup while this is wrong because like this many younger players will lose a chance to have good performance for their national team.

Messi performed very well at the world cup because then he was still fit and strong enough to play and then he was in his thirties and still optimal with his performance but by 2026 he will be passed that age and he will not be so fit enough to perform as he did in the last world cup so we can't be judging how well he will perform at the 2026 world cup that is three years fr now with the performance he had at the world cup at Qatar.

Without any doubt it's very possible he will participate in the world cup especially if he is been called up on and he accepts the offer but we can be somehow sure he will not be optimal with his performance by then as he has been, and it's very possible he could have retired by they because he will be in his late thirties of early fourties which is not an age very favourable with football.

I see some people who believe the reason of why Argentina won the last World Cup was only Messi having good performance in this team. In fact, some people think Messi is the only effective paler in this country and if he leaves the team or get retires from the national game, Argentine will have problems with finding alternative players for Messi in the 2026 World Cup but that's wrong we know even if he plays in 2026 while he is going to be an old player and he can't have good performance anymore, but we obviously know he can't play in 2030 and the important thing for Argentina is to find alternative players even now.

[nullama]

~snip~
Messi performed very well at the world cup because then he was still fit and strong enough to play and then he was in his thirties and still optimal with his performance but by 2026 he will be passed that age and he will not be so fit enough to perform as he did in the last world cup so we can't be judging how well he will perform at the 2026 world cup that is three years fr now with the performance he had at the world cup at Qatar.

Without any doubt it's very possible he will participate in the world cup especially if he is been called up on and he accepts the offer but we can be somehow sure he will not be optimal with his performance by then as he has been, and it's very possible he could have retired by they because he will be in his late thirties of early fourties which is not an age very favourable with football.

I think Messi's performance at the world cup was not at his peak. And I think him playing at other leagues now will not allow him to be at his best for the next world cup.

But who knows, these super stars always keep surprising us with amazing things, so maybe he will end up winning the world cup again, who knows...

[Hirose UK]

Lionel Scaloni has contract until 2026 so it is certain that he will be able to remain as Argentina coach until the 2026 World Cup starts.
As long as he doesn't make mistakes and can give his best for the next 3 years then he won't be fired.

Talking about Ronaldo for Portugal the coach seems to be prioritizing young players and it is unlikely that Ronaldo will be included in the Portugal national team list.
However, I sure Fernando Santos has the best strategy and way to make Portugal stronger.

You can focus on younger players and that's fine, nobody says he should bring in all the veterans, but if Ronaldo is still playing and he doesn't call up Ronaldo, there will be a lot of upset fans and he will be on the edge of the seat, if they do badly he will be fired mercilessly and would have hard time finding another job.

Ronaldo has a HUGE influence at Portugal, and globally too, that dude single handedly made a WHOLE LEAGUE famous, so its clear that it would be smarter to get him. It's better to fail with him, than fail without him. Messi is loved by his manager a lot, so we know that if he is playing there will not even be a single doubt that he would be getting that call up and will represent and even start games.

Yes, I also know that focusing on young players is also a good decision because it will have better long-term outcomes than retaining old players whose age may no longer be productive, but what we are talking about is Ronaldo and you can actually see him now it plays even better and is downright awesome.
Maybe the coach wants the Portuguese national team to have players with better playing qualities and to create more talented players.

What is clear is that the name Ronaldo no longer really attracts coaches so they prioritize young players but if Ronaldo is still capable, still has good playing qualities wouldn't it be a loss if he didn't participate in the World Cup?
This is very different from Messi, who is the golden boy for Argentina, Messi presence even makes other Argentine players enthusiastic about competing in every match.

[Bobrox]

I think Messi's performance at the world cup was not at his peak. And I think him playing at other leagues now will not allow him to be at his best for the next world cup.

But who knows, these super stars always keep surprising us with amazing things, so maybe he will end up winning the world cup again, who knows...

Depend on next season which one competition playing by Lionel Messi, I don't too expected if Lionel Messi keep in MLS league with Inter Miami will have top performed with his country on FIFA World Cup 2026. Regarding have three years left before World Cup begin still have enough time for Lionel Messi return to play with top European teams and get back his top level performance.

Possibility with Argentina defend their world cup trophy depend their squad and looking with other national teams exactly France, England and Spain have top level player perform. I am waiting with UEFA World Cup qualifier stage and looking which one have absent for next World Cup because will have surprised result or possibility with top Europe national team can't lead from qualify stage.

[Jody.Drummer]

I think Messi's performance at the world cup was not at his peak. And I think him playing at other leagues now will not allow him to be at his best for the next world cup.

But who knows, these super stars always keep surprising us with amazing things, so maybe he will end up winning the world cup again, who knows...

Depend on next season which one competition playing by Lionel Messi, I don't too expected if Lionel Messi keep in MLS league with Inter Miami will have top performed with his country on FIFA World Cup 2026. Regarding have three years left before World Cup begin still have enough time for Lionel Messi return to play with top European teams and get back his top level performance.

Possibility with Argentina defend their world cup trophy depend their squad and looking with other national teams exactly France, England and Spain have top level player perform. I am waiting with UEFA World Cup qualifier stage and looking which one have absent for next World Cup because will have surprised result or possibility with top Europe national team can't lead from qualify stage.

Which club he is currently playing at is also a separate assessment for us to say whether he is still worthy of defending his country or not. Because the competitive level of the league will also affect his performance, and especially the time is still long enough to be in 2026.
There is a decline in his performance and I think we all have the same thoughts on this. But it is something that is natural with his current age.
But if he's still on Argentna's roster for the next WC, that would be great. But I think the atmosphere will be different and not as enthusiastic as in the last WC.

[marcous]

You can focus on younger players and that's fine, nobody says he should bring in all the veterans, but if Ronaldo is still playing and he doesn't call up Ronaldo, there will be a lot of upset fans and he will be on the edge of the seat, if they do badly he will be fired mercilessly and would have hard time finding another job.

Ronaldo has a HUGE influence at Portugal, and globally too, that dude single handedly made a WHOLE LEAGUE famous, so its clear that it would be smarter to get him. It's better to fail with him, than fail without him. Messi is loved by his manager a lot, so we know that if he is playing there will not even be a single doubt that he would be getting that call up and will represent and even start games.

As time goes by, I think that Messi and Ronaldo will not take part in the 2026 World Cup, maybe their efforts will only reach the stage of qualifying their respective countries to get there. We know that the MLS and SPL levels are not very competitive leagues, and we also have to try to be realistic when we see that both of them are no longer young. Personally, I still want Messi and Ronaldo to be there, but the fact that age is again an unavoidable challenge.

Maybe in the future several young players will emerge who will form a new axis, I mean like the competition between Messi and Ronaldo. On other hand I've been waiting for a phenomenal player model like R9 Brazil for a long time, I think it's no less interesting than the two main figures I mentioned earlier.

[Leviathan.007]

You can focus on younger players and that's fine, nobody says he should bring in all the veterans, but if Ronaldo is still playing and he doesn't call up Ronaldo, there will be a lot of upset fans and he will be on the edge of the seat, if they do badly he will be fired mercilessly and would have hard time finding another job.

Ronaldo has a HUGE influence at Portugal, and globally too, that dude single handedly made a WHOLE LEAGUE famous, so its clear that it would be smarter to get him. It's better to fail with him, than fail without him. Messi is loved by his manager a lot, so we know that if he is playing there will not even be a single doubt that he would be getting that call up and will represent and even start games.

As time goes by, I think that Messi and Ronaldo will not take part in the 2026 World Cup, maybe their efforts will only reach the stage of qualifying their respective countries to get there. We know that the MLS and SPL levels are not very competitive leagues, and we also have to try to be realistic when we see that both of them are no longer young. Personally, I still want Messi and Ronaldo to be there, but the fact that age is again an unavoidable challenge.

Maybe in the future several young players will emerge who will form a new axis, I mean like the competition between Messi and Ronaldo. On other hand I've been waiting for a phenomenal player model like R9 Brazil for a long time, I think it's no less interesting than the two main figures I mentioned earlier.

Years ago in the recent World Cup, when the performance of Ronaldo and Messi was amazing for the team I remember people usually were waiting to see them playing in a great tournament like the World Cup but since these players re getting old and they can't have a good performance anymore, there are many other younger players with better performance and talking about these two players is not wise when both Argentina and Portugal can find better players in these three years we left to the world cup.

[romero121]

You can focus on younger players and that's fine, nobody says he should bring in all the veterans, but if Ronaldo is still playing and he doesn't call up Ronaldo, there will be a lot of upset fans and he will be on the edge of the seat, if they do badly he will be fired mercilessly and would have hard time finding another job.

Ronaldo has a HUGE influence at Portugal, and globally too, that dude single handedly made a WHOLE LEAGUE famous, so its clear that it would be smarter to get him. It's better to fail with him, than fail without him. Messi is loved by his manager a lot, so we know that if he is playing there will not even be a single doubt that he would be getting that call up and will represent and even start games.

As time goes by, I think that Messi and Ronaldo will not take part in the 2026 World Cup, maybe their efforts will only reach the stage of qualifying their respective countries to get there. We know that the MLS and SPL levels are not very competitive leagues, and we also have to try to be realistic when we see that both of them are no longer young. Personally, I still want Messi and Ronaldo to be there, but the fact that age is again an unavoidable challenge.

Maybe in the future several young players will emerge who will form a new axis, I mean like the competition between Messi and Ronaldo. On other hand I've been waiting for a phenomenal player model like R9 Brazil for a long time, I think it's no less interesting than the two main figures I mentioned earlier.

Years ago in the recent World Cup, when the performance of Ronaldo and Messi was amazing for the team I remember people usually were waiting to see them playing in a great tournament like the World Cup but since these players re getting old and they can't have a good performance anymore, there are many other younger players with better performance and talking about these two players is not wise when both Argentina and Portugal can find better players in these three years we left to the world cup.

Every generation used to have their own legendary players. According to that, present generation is much inspired of the legendary players Ronaldo and Messi. The upcoming generation is much into young players who are really good in their performance. When the dominance of these players diminish, automatically the young players start to shine. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and the list counts.

[Ayers]

I think Messi's performance at the world cup was not at his peak. And I think him playing at other leagues now will not allow him to be at his best for the next world cup.

But who knows, these super stars always keep surprising us with amazing things, so maybe he will end up winning the world cup again, who knows...

Depend on next season which one competition playing by Lionel Messi, I don't too expected if Lionel Messi keep in MLS league with Inter Miami will have top performed with his country on FIFA World Cup 2026. Regarding have three years left before World Cup begin still have enough time for Lionel Messi return to play with top European teams and get back his top level performance.

Possibility with Argentina defend their world cup trophy depend their squad and looking with other national teams exactly France, England and Spain have top level player perform. I am waiting with UEFA World Cup qualifier stage and looking which one have absent for next World Cup because will have surprised result or possibility with top Europe national team can't lead from qualify stage.

Which club he is currently playing at is also a separate assessment for us to say whether he is still worthy of defending his country or not. Because the competitive level of the league will also affect his performance, and especially the time is still long enough to be in 2026.
There is a decline in his performance and I think we all have the same thoughts on this. But it is something that is natural with his current age.
But if he's still on Argentna's roster for the next WC, that would be great. But I think the atmosphere will be different and not as enthusiastic as in the last WC.

For some reason, I really do not think that Argentina will be able to defend the World Cup successfully. Honestly, I think that's because the Argentina team is not going to be the same during the next World Cup. Don't get me wrong, if Argentina does go to the next World Cup by having the same quality that they have right now, they will probably not have any problem winning. But the World Cup is still a long time away. I don't think the quality of the team is going to stay the same till the next World Cup. And even though I know that Lionel Messi is not the main reason why Argentina was able to win the World Cup. But he was an important player for sure.

[nullama]

~snip~
Which club he is currently playing at is also a separate assessment for us to say whether he is still worthy of defending his country or not. Because the competitive level of the league will also affect his performance, and especially the time is still long enough to be in 2026.
There is a decline in his performance and I think we all have the same thoughts on this. But it is something that is natural with his current age.
But if he's still on Argentna's roster for the next WC, that would be great. But I think the atmosphere will be different and not as enthusiastic as in the last WC.

I think almost the whole world wanted Messi to win the previous world cup, but as you say, the enthusiasm for him for the next world cup is just not there.

Of course there are many fans still around, but in many people's mind Messi already "did it" by winning the world cup, so they are prepared for the next big thing.

Honestly, I personally would prefer watching some new talent than continuing to see Messi, because there's nothing else to hope for. Winning the world cup?, he just did it, so that's not as exciting any more.

[Jody.Drummer]

Which club he is currently playing at is also a separate assessment for us to say whether he is still worthy of defending his country or not. Because the competitive level of the league will also affect his performance, and especially the time is still long enough to be in 2026.
There is a decline in his performance and I think we all have the same thoughts on this. But it is something that is natural with his current age.
But if he's still on Argentna's roster for the next WC, that would be great. But I think the atmosphere will be different and not as enthusiastic as in the last WC.

For some reason, I really do not think that Argentina will be able to defend the World Cup successfully. Honestly, I think that's because the Argentina team is not going to be the same during the next World Cup. Don't get me wrong, if Argentina does go to the next World Cup by having the same quality that they have right now, they will probably not have any problem winning. But the World Cup is still a long time away. I don't think the quality of the team is going to stay the same till the next World Cup. And even though I know that Lionel Messi is not the main reason why Argentina was able to win the World Cup. But he was an important player for sure.

Yes you are right that Messi is not the only reason for their success in the last World Cup, because there is teamwork there and Messi is one of the players who work together.
Argentina we know has many star players not just Messi, even in it is dominated by star-labeled names, especially on their front lines. Their problem is that their defense still has problems and somehow their defense is not so solid.
In the next World Cup, the situation will be much different and I can't say now because there must be a big change from each country, including Argentina.

[Sithara007]

Yes you are right that Messi is not the only reason for their success in the last World Cup, because there is teamwork there and Messi is one of the players who work together.
Argentina we know has many star players not just Messi, even in it is dominated by star-labeled names, especially on their front lines. Their problem is that their defense still has problems and somehow their defense is not so solid.
In the next World Cup, the situation will be much different and I can't say now because there must be a big change from each country, including Argentina.

Around 2.5 years to go for the next world cup. So it is too early to make these sort of predictions. One thing that you have posted is correct. Argentina is not a one-man army (unlike the case with Portugal or Norway) and they can win matches without Messi. But the big question is whether they can perform at the same level or not. Back in 2022 World Cup, Messi was one of the reasons why they were able to lift the trophy. But then again, Lionel Messi in 2026 may not be the same Lionel Messi that we saw during Qatar 2022.

[Ayers]

For some reason, I really do not think that Argentina will be able to defend the World Cup successfully. Honestly, I think that's because the Argentina team is not going to be the same during the next World Cup. Don't get me wrong, if Argentina does go to the next World Cup by having the same quality that they have right now, they will probably not have any problem winning. But the World Cup is still a long time away. I don't think the quality of the team is going to stay the same till the next World Cup. And even though I know that Lionel Messi is not the main reason why Argentina was able to win the World Cup. But he was an important player for sure.

Yes you are right that Messi is not the only reason for their success in the last World Cup, because there is teamwork there and Messi is one of the players who work together.
Argentina we know has many star players not just Messi, even in it is dominated by star-labeled names, especially on their front lines. Their problem is that their defense still has problems and somehow their defense is not so solid.
In the next World Cup, the situation will be much different and I can't say now because there must be a big change from each country, including Argentina.

In this World Cup, Argentina was able to win because they had a good balanced team. But till the next World Cup, a lot of the players are going to be a little too old to actually perform as well as they have done in this World Cup. So I believe that is going to be a problem for Argentina. if they have good players coming up, it is not going to be a problem.  They can actually bring in the same level of players or better, they will not have any problems defending the World Cup successfully. But I do not think they will be able to successfully replace some players. Certainly not Lionel Messi.